The plot

Police said the case came to light after the businessman, who runs a wholesale business in East Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar, began receiving threatening calls and messages from an international number on June 14. The caller identified himself as a member of the Gogi gang and demanded Rs 50 lakh, warning that the businessman and his family would be killed if the money was not paid.

Delhi Police alleged that a businessman’s wife conspired with a US-based gangster linked to the Jitender Gogi gang to extort Rs 50 lakh from her husband following years of marital discord.(Express Photo)

The Gogi gang, which is also linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi group, gained notoriety for extortion and gang warfare until its leader, Jitender Mann alias Gogi, was killed inside Rohini Court in 2021 by members of a rival gang. According to police officers, the gang continues to operate under the leadership of its members based abroad and in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.

To make the threats more convincing, police said the extortionists allegedly sent photographs and precise locations of the victim’s residence and business premises.

An FIR was registered at Laxmi Nagar police station on June 18 before the investigation was transferred to the New Delhi Range of the Special Cell.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Praveen Kumar Tripathi said a team led by Inspectors Sanjay Kumar Gupta and Pankaj Chauhan, under the supervision of ACP Vivek Tyagi, combined technical surveillance with human intelligence to trace the operation.

Police said their investigation led them to Rajat. During his questioning, police said it was found that he was allegedly in contact with several members of the Gogi gang, including jailed gangster Rohit Moi, and had links with another gang associate based in the US.

Rajat was arrested on June 25. According to the officer, analysis of his mobile phone revealed “incriminating” chats showing that he was coordinating with the US-based extortionist and maintaining regular contact with the victim’s wife and her sister.

Domestic dispute

Police said the investigation uncovered a domestic motive behind the extortion plot. The businessman and Sapna were married in 2007 and have two teenage children, but long-standing family disputes had strained their relationship.

According to police, Sapna allegedly believed her mother-in-law always sided with her husband during family disagreements.

Police claimed Sapna enlisted Rajat to first extort money from her husband. Once the extortion succeeded, police said, the plan allegedly involved eliminating her mother-in-law and physically assaulting the businessman. She allegedly supplied Rajat with detailed information about her husband’s daily movements to facilitate the conspiracy, police said.

The Special Cell claimed to have recovered mobile phones containing chats between Sapna and Rajat that allegedly detail various aspects of the conspiracy. The digital evidence is expected to play a crucial role in the ongoing investigation.

According to another police officer, around three years ago, Rajat had come into contact with Karmveer Pehalwan alias Meeta, who is based in the US and suspected to have facilitated the extortion calls.

Rajat is previously involved in cases of theft and two Arms Act cases registered in Sonipat. The officer said he came in contact with Sapna’s elder sister, who lives in Sonipat with her family, a few years ago.

Police officers said efforts are on to identify and apprehend other conspirators, including the overseas-based extortionist.